Grey’s Anatomy is about to cast a character whose appearance has been a long time coming. The medical drama will finally introduce a missing member of the Shepherd family. Paging Derek’s sister Kathleen! That’s right, Derek’s fourth sister will be making her entrance, at long last.
Kathleen will make her debut in the upcoming Amelia-centric episode of the series, per TVLine. An actress has yet to be cast in the role, so a search to fill the high-profile Grey’s Anatomy character is currently underway. Despite her continually coming up in conversation, Kathleen has yet ever to be seen on-screen.
Thanks to this upcoming Amelia episode, that is about to change. When Kathleen makes her debut, all of Derek’s sisters will have appeared on Grey’s Anatomy. Amelia, Liz, and Nancy have all made their way to the medical drama. Kathleen has been the lone hold-out.
That kind of makes you wonder what on earth is going to happen to make her appear on Grey’s Anatomy finally. Given that this episode is about Amelia and that she is Kathleen’s sister, it makes sense for her to be involved. Who needs a Kathleen refresher? Here are some vital details.
Kathleen is married with children. She is also a psychiatrist. That last part opens the door to one potential reason for her to make an appearance. Perhaps Amelia has a nervous breakdown, and Kathleen decides to step in to help treat her. Speculation is the only thing to do at this point.
For obvious reasons, a lot of plot details on the special episode are currently under wraps. There are a few aspects that have been made available. Caterina Scorsone, who plays Amelia, told TVLine that the upcoming installment would not take place at Grey Sloan Memorial. Does something happen with Kathleen to draw her away? Time will tell.
The episode is slated as a standalone installment of Grey’s Anatomy. That hints the events in the episode are self-contained. The Amelia-installment is part of the episodes ABC greenlit in its extra episode order for the season.
As for Kathleen, it will be interesting to learn who the medical drama casts in the role. Depending on how she is received, it stands to reason that this may not be her one and only appearance on the show. That is if something in the story does not make a return trip impossible. It seems doubtful that Grey’s Anatomy would finally introduce Kathleen, only to kill her off.
Whatever brings Kathleen to the show, longtime Grey’s Anatomy fans can rejoice that she will finally appear. News of her debut is bittersweet. It is sad that all of the Shepherds never made it Grey’s Anatomy at the same time. Seeing all five Shepherd siblings alive together in the same room was apparently just not meant to be.
Find out how Derek and Amelia’s sister, Kathleen, will make her debut when new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The medical drama is not alone in airing new episodes during the midseason.
